Thursday, February 22, 2007

I Don't Like This Book So I'm Keeping It

A group of Florida parents have come up with a unique way to censor the books that are in their children's school libraries. While I don't agree with what they are doing at all, I do have to kind of admire the method to their madness...but only if they reimburse the library for the unreturned books. Come to think of it, that could start a never-ending cycle of these particular books flowing in and out of the libraries and should make the authors very happy.

A group of parents in Miami-Dade have come up with a unique way to get books they considered controversial off the shelves at their children’s schools libraries. They check them out, but never return them.

Dalila Rodriguez admits she checked out “Discovering Cultures, Cuba” from the library at her son’s school Norma Butler Bossard Elementary at 15950 SW 144th St. earlier this month, and doesn’t plan to return it. Rodriguez said this book, like another controversial book she’s checked out “Vamos a Cuba,” contains false information about Cuba.

Rodriguez said, “If you take it out and don't return it, no kid can read it. It's not censoring; it's protecting our children from lies."

2 comments:

That is only your opinion madam.This is wrong in so many ways I don't know where to begin!!Why not let the kids read the book together with the parents then have a sensible discussion about the contents?!!What would happen if I was a muslim and didn't return copies of the New Testament because in my opinion it was heretical.Surely as a muslim I should have the same right not to return books as Mrs Rodriguez and her friends?Supression in this manner seems to me to be driven by fear.

If these schools don't decide to play this in some strange politically correct manner, Nick, they still have the power to bring this to a screeching halt. The books had to have been checked out in the name of a child and it would be a simple matter to withhold grades for that child until the school library is reimbursed for the loss. That money could then be used to re-order the books in question.

This kind of thing will end up making others very curious about these particular books and more people will end up reading them than would have probably been the case otherwise.

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